In comparing pic 1 to 2, pic 2 went super nova. I'm liking it

Great transformation

Classy and inspiring! :) The new countertop ties it all together very nicely.

Wow...what a change!

Beautiful transformation! I am assuming same boxes and new doors?

I like how the tile now looks good in the space.

That is amazing and inspiring. :)

I kept going back and forth, as it was so fun to see how nice the new room looks.

Sorry, I prefer slab doors -great quarter sawn oak. Change of the dooor handles to modern and a new countertop would do the trick!

Wow! If only I could convince my husband that not EVERY piece of woodwork in our home must be stained! Our kitchen cabinets are the same honey color as in your before. The white is stunning. Love. It.

Great job! A last bit of advice, when the refrigerator dies, make sure to get a cabinet depth one. The fridge will lose the black edge and make it look like a built in. Other then that its perfect.

Nicely done. I personally would have loved to keep the slab doors and refinish/paint them to the white colour instead of refacing with the shaker style. I do think that redoing the floor would have been a good idea-keeping that same dated flooring is holding the kitchen back from being really great. But maybe thats a project for another time.

So nice!

Great transformation which inspires me to get to work on mine. Also, love your stools; they're unique.

Very nice! A smart way to update and brighten up your kitchen without breaking the bank! You should think about adding under cabinet lighting as well, most home improvement centers sell ones you can add to existing cabinets. Crown moulding (which comes in a variety of sizes and styles) along the very top of the cabinets will also give a more polished appearance to your lovely cabinets!

Thanks for all of the comments. This project is a work in progress. The floors wills be replaced at some point with a dark stained hardwood.....hopefully soon. I thought of painting existing doors but I'm glad I went with the new. It was a difficult decision because they were quality doors. I tired of the 80's look and my kitchen was way too dark. Thanks to Houzz for all of the great ideas!

Terrific way to give you kitchen a facelift! The room already had a nice footprint. I like the comment about the counter depth refrigerator. I've got one and it makes a nice difference.

Looks great!

Thanks "Stamps Design Service". I love the attached photos. Crown moulding will be coming. I haven't decided on a design yet. Under the cabinet lights have just been a thought. Thanks for the push!!

Kathyjacree, I also had a dark wood kitchen. While I love dark wood and have several dark antiques, it was too dark in my small kitchen. I decided to go with creamy white cabinets when I remodeled our kitchen. I got some comments on here criticizing white kitchens, but we all have to do what works for us. For me it brightened up the space and made me a happier cook! I also like that you added glass fronts.

It's nice to a common sense renovation for a change !

Interesting that you would get negative comments on a white kitchen! According to experts, 75 % of the buying population prefers white cabinets. I believe that will always be true, just as it has been' certain white cabinets door styles and shades very often have the "legs" to go the distance and will be relevant from a design trend perspective much longer than other choices. Here's a 3 & One resurfacing job completed in a historic home in The Highlands neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. Gotta love those pink "before" shots! Counter tops were existing, which was the single most compelling reason for re-surfacing!

Opps, forgot to mention this but your kitchen looks amazing, great choices!

Nice job! Much brighter!

I would have changed the pulls to brushed chrome ones, and added some bright colors in there.

That would have looked nice with the existing faucet (also brushed) and I do like to pay attention to this level of detail and make sure all finishes jive, but the glass knobs were what she really wanted and it wasn't a wrong decision and now she's a happy customer!

Is it tacky of me to ask how much it costs? I would live to do this.

Gorgeous reno - you really did a wonderful job!

You mentioned a dark wood floor in the future, however, I think you should also consider something in the mid tones. Reasons:

Dark floors always look dirty (even a drop of water will leave a mark), be prepared to steam mop at least 3x a week - especially if you have small children or pets.

Dark floors show scratches and scrapes much more than lighter toned floors.

The white cabinets look awesome with the dark stone tops - dark floors may give the room an Oreo cookie look.

To Ward Designs, I agree that a natural or medium tone is best. The existing tile color looks pretty darn good.

I agree with Ward design, the difference in maintenance is huge when choosing stain colors for the floor. Take if from me. I have to dry mop daily now with even a mid-dark floor from a mid-tone we previously had. EVERYTHING SHOWS. Luckily there is now microfiber large size swivel handled "mop" now or I would be pulling out my hair. (I use the older style rubbermaid dry) and the new one wet when needed.

Looks great!! Do you mind sharing details regarding budget/cost and choices (countertop, backsplash, etc.)? I'm thinking of getting my cabinets refaced, though there's already thermofoil on them so not sure if it's even possible…

I'm glad to see refaced cabinets because that's what we want to do to our kitchen.

Is this just painted white??? Sprayed or hand brushed?

The new cabinet doors were spray painted an off white. They look very white in my home especially in this picture. For those who were asking about cost....the pantry cabinet and pots and pans cabinet got new pull-out shelves. With new hardware, new doors, exterior painting of boxes and interior painting of cabinets with glass doors, the refacing came to around $4500. Prices vary and I got a great deal from a retired craftsman who did a beautiful job. The countertop is a leathered black absolute granite. I needed two slabs and the cost was $6300. White subway tiles were used for the backsplash. I basically got all of my ideas from houzz pictures.

Thanks for comments regarding dark hardwood floors. I think I'm changing my mind and will be looking at a lighter stain.

sscardasis, I think you might still be looking for answers to your question of "how much?" This is a rendering of a "test" kitchen (my sons house) which is in a big master planned community just turning 15 years old. This is the perfect model for our cabinet resurfacing program here at Three Week Kitchens in that the floor plans and cabinet layouts are relevant to today's lifestyles, the mechanicals; plumbing, electrical, etc. are up to date and the cabinet boxes themselves have decades of serviceability; the owners just hate the door styles and species. We use this kitchen for pricing purposes. The cost for this kitchen which includes all new doors (resized for full overlay) with soft close features, all new drawer fully extending drawer boxes, with soft close features, new drawer heads, 1/4" end panels and toe kick is $8,024. Home Depot bid this same kitchen and came it at $11, 168--- for what I believe is a lesser product. We prepare all of the new doors, drawer fronts, end panels and any other materials to be installed in the field in our cabinet shop, in a paint booth using a process that includes up to eight finish steps (paint and stain require different steps) to ensure a finish that's equivalent or better to what you could expect from a cabinet delivered from the factory. Make sense?

Here's that same kitchen with some popular modifications including a new sink cabinet to accommodate a farmhouse sink, removal of the cabs over the range to accommodate a designer hood, glass fronted cabinets on top of existing upppers. Other discretionary upgrades include light rail, decorative molding on the cabinet tops, "finished" end panels. fridge side panels, rollouts and other interior features and so on, you get the idea.

Here's the before, looks like every kitchen in a suburban development across the United States!

very very nice concept adding the dark and light. You could feel the good vibes after the renovation I'm sure.

Me encantan las cocinas llenas de luz...todo luce mejor! Y claras...

Gorgeous!

Very nice job! Great transformation

I love both of these looks! I have nice wooden cabinets, but they need an upgrade! My problem is that the last three projects I've hired someone to do, have not been completed. I had a bathroom put in the basement because my husband has cancer and needed that accessibility, but again, a scammer did a substandard job and took my money. I'm hesitant to do anything else! I do love to look at your ideas and read about them.

So sorry that's happened to you! Where are you located, maybe I can provide a referral from my Builders Club.

Finally finished with new flooring.

Hi Kathy, love this kitchen!!!! I saw you mentioned that these cabinet doors were spray painted to white color. Are they the same doors with your old doors? I thought they were different because of the white doors’ design/appearance

Different doors.

Nicely done! I like the choice of going with an undermount sink. Lovely choice of hardware all around. The flooring really ties the space together. Congratulations!

Thank you for the comments. It took a while to finally install floors. I’m so happy with the result.

Looks good! It looks like a completely different kitchen. Goes to show that you don't have to spend a fortune to get a whole new room!